Vacuum cleaner



Apnl 1 1927? w. L. KEEF VACUUM CLEANER 2 Sheets-Silesia 1 Filed March 16. 1925 April 12, 1927. 1,624,251

W. L. KEEFER VACUUM CLEANER Filed March 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. L 1927.

UNITED STATES I WALTER I. KEEFER, OF CHAMBERSBURG, 7 WOLF, OE CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

1,624,251 PATENT' OFFICE;

YENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO HARRY G.

I vacuum CLEANER.

Application .filed um 16, 1925. Serial- No. 15,941.

My invention relates to improvements in vacuum cleaners and has reference more particularly to mounting and driving means for a rotarybrush in the suction nozzle.

The invention relates to cleaners of the type in which a pair of brush driving friction wheels engage the ends of the brush to rotate the same, and it is the object ofthe invention to generally improve upon mounting means for the brush,'an d the construction "of the brush ends which engage the mounting means andthe friction wheels.

VViththe foregoing in View, the invention resides in the novel subject matter here.-

inafter described and claimed, the descriptionbeing supplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Figure'l is a bottom plan vlew of a suctionnozzle, its brush and its driving wheels,

showing my improvements in connection I therewith. 1

Figure 2 is a side elevation. of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of 5 the brush-carrying arms.

Figure 4; is a vertical sectionalwiew as indicated by line 44 of Fig. 1. L

Figure5 is a sectional view as indicated by line 5-5 of Fig. 4, this view also indicating the plane on which Fig. 4 is cut.

Figure 6 is a disassembled perspective view of the construction employed at each end ofthe brush.

In the drawings above briefly described,

. the numeral 1 designates-an" elongated suction nozzle open at its lower side in the usual way and provided with a suction neck 2, a plate 3 being shown upon the rear end of this neck, for connecting it with and forming one side of a fan housing. In the construction shown, the rear side of the nozzle 1 is provided with offsets 4 in which a pair of nozzle-supporting and'brush-driving wheels 5 are mounted, said wheels being in axial alinement but having their axes ofiset rearwardly to quite an extent from the axis of the nozzle-.- Both, of'these wheels are provided ,with rubber tires 6.

The numeral 7 designates in a general way, a rotary brush in the nozzle 1. Thisbrush comprises a shaft 8 carrying bristles 9, each'end of said shafts having a longi tudinal bore 10 disposed at its axis. Each end of the shaft 8' is preferably reducedsomewhat as indicated at 11, and this reduced portion is formed with a transverse bore 12 which intersects the 'bore 10. Snugly surroundin each reduced end 11 of the shaft 8', is a driving ring 13 which may be formed of rubber or any other desired materlal, said ring having diametrical openings 14 registering with the bore 12. This bore 12' is also in register with a transverse bore 15 formed in a cylindrical spindle 16 fitting into the bore 10, one of these spindles being of course provided at each end of the brush 7. A pin 17 at each ends-0f the brush, passes through the openings 14 and through the alined transverse bores 12 and 15, so that the shaft 8, the driving rings 13, and the spindles 16 are held in assembled relation in an exceptionally inexpensive manner. The driving rings 13 engage the tires 6 of the wheels 5 so that said wheels may rotate the brush, and novel mounting means are provided for the outer ends of the spindles 16. 1 In each end portion of the nozzle 1, T-prov vide a verticall disposed arm 18 which is by preference ormed of compressed fibre. 5 he upper end of each arm 18 is formed l with a transverse horizontal opening 18 through which a sleeve 19 passes, said sleeve abutting the inner side of an end wall of the nozzle 1 and being secured to this end wall by a bolt-or other fastener 20, the nut 21 of the bolt, or someequivalent portion of an equivalent fastener, being extended beyond the periphery of the sleeve 19, to w v prevent inward sliding of the arm' 18 from said sleeve. Each arm 18 is provided with an upper notch 22 and a lower notch 23, both of which face toward the wheel 5. Either the upper notches of the two arms or the lower notches thereof, may receive the spindles 16 of the brush 7.

When the brush spindles are mounted in the lower notches 23 as shown in Figures 4 and 5, it will be noted that the bristles project outside or below the mouth of the we nozzle, and hencenthe rug will be swept while it lieson the floor and with consider- ..able force to raise crushed nap and to dislodge hair, lint and ravelings. Such vigorous sweeping of'the rug is hard on the rug or carpet but is necessary at times. Usually however the device may be used with the brush spindles imthe upper notches 22 in which position the" bristles are entirel within the mouth of the, nozzle. When no thus operated, the suction lifts the rug up to the nozzle leaving an air space between the floor and rug and causing the air to flow through the rug. When the rug is thus sucked off of the floor and bulged into the nozzle, the brush gently sweeps the surface with but little or no wear on the rug. It will therefor be seen that this vertical adjustment of the brushpermits the device to be quickly adapted to the condition of the surface to be cleaned and enables the work to be effectively done without undue wear on the rug or carpet.

To normally force the arms toward the wheels 5 and thus retain the driving rings 13 in proper contact with the tires (3, and to permit swinging of said arms in a manner to permit raising or lowering of the brush, I provide two springs. In the preferred form of construction, each of these springs is formed with a coiled intermediate portion 24 and with two projecting end portions 25 and 26, theformer being in contact with the inner side of the nozzle 1, while the latter engages the arm 18 being provided with a lateral terminal 27 for this purpose. The coiled intermediate portions 24 of the springs surround the sleeves l9'between thearms 18 and the end Walls of the nozzle 1, so that in addition to forming pivotal mounting means for said arms, the sleeves also serve to retain the springs in proper position.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the construction employed is extremely simple and inexpensive,'may be rapidly and advantageously manufactured, and will be very desirable. Obviously by swinging the arms 18 against the action of the springs, the brush 7 may be either raised'or lowered as required, or may be entirely removed for cleaning, and attention is LllIQtfGtltO the v fact that the same means which acts to hold the brush in the desired position, serves also toyieldably retain the driving rings 13 in effective frictional contact with the tires of the driving wheels 5, so that the latter may effectively rotate the brush as the cleaner is moved over the surface to be cleaned.

Excellent results are obtainable from the details disclosed and they may therefore be considered as representing thepreferred form of the invention. However, within the scope of the invention as claimed, modifications may of course be made.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaner having an elongated nozzle, a'brush in said nozzle having spindles, and brush-driving friction wheels engaging the ends of said brush; a pair of inherently rigid arms disposed vertically in the ends of said nozzle and having bearings for said sp'ndlcs, the upper ends of said arms having openings, horizontal sleeves passing through said openings and abutting the end walls of said nozzle, fasteners passing through said sleeves and said end walls and having portions projecting beyond the peripheries of the sleeves to ,prevent inward sliding of the arms therefrom, and springs having coiled intermediate portions and projecting end portions, said coiled portions surrounding said sleeves between said arms and the end walls of the nozzle, said end portions engaging the nozzle and arms respectively to force said arms toward the brush-driving wheels.

2. In a combined sweeper andvacuum cleaner the combination of an elongated nozzle, brush-driving friction Wheels offset from the longitudinal center thereof, a brush in the nozzle engaging said wheels and having spindles, and spring pressed arms pivotally' mounted in the nozzle for forcing the brush toward the wheels, each arm having an upper and a lower spindlereceiving notch so positioned that when the brush spindles are in the lower notches the bristles of the brush will project outside of the nozzle to sweep a rug while in ,contactwith the floor, and when the brush spindles are in the-upper notches, the brush bristles will be entirely within the nozzle and gently brush the upper surface of the rug while it is lifted above the floor by suction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

' WALTER L. KEEFER. 

